NEW YORK (AP), Prime Minister Imran Khan attempted to portray Pakistan as the victim American ungratefulness, and an international double-standard in Friday's address to the United Nations General Assembly.
The Pakistani prime minister spoke during the evening in a prerecorded speech. He touched on climate change, global Islamophobia, and the plundering of the developing world's corrupt elites.
Khan reserved his harshest words for India's government, again calling Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government a fascist. However, the cricketer turned posh politician turned politician was at the same time indignant as he called the United States an abandoner of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Khan stated that Pakistan was blamed by some politicians in America and Europe for the current state of Afghanistan. This platform will let them know that Pakistan was the country that suffered most from the U.S. war against terror following 9/11.
He began a story that started with the United States training mujahedeen, who were regarded as heroes by Ronald Reagan. This was during the Soviet occupation in Afghanistan. Pakistan had to pick up millions of refugees and create new militant sectarian groups after the Soviets and Americans fled in 1989.
Khan claimed that the U.S. sanctioned the former partner one year later but called again after the attacks on September 11. Khan claimed that Pakistan's support for the U.S. resulted in the loss of 80,000 lives and internal strife, dissent and violence within Pakistan while the U.S. carried out drone attacks.
This is what we hear at the end. He said that there is much concern in the U.S. regarding the care of interpreters and all those who have helped the U.S. with their mission to Afghanistan. How about us?
Continue the story
Khan stated that Pakistan is not just a recipient of "words of appreciation", but has been blamed.
Khan's words of peace and reconciliation are not enough to explain why many Afghans blame Pakistan for the Taliban's return to Afghanistan. This is due to their close ties with Pakistan. In August, the United Nations rejected Pakistan's request for a side in a special meeting about Afghanistan. This was a sign of the international community's shared skeptical.
Khan repeated what Shah Mehmood Qureshi had said to The Associated Press on the sidelines of the U.N. this week: The international community should not isolate Taliban leaders, but rather strengthen the current Afghan government in order to benefit the people.
He spoke optimistically about Taliban rule, stating that their leaders had made promises to respect human rights, a inclusive government, and to not allowing terrorists onto Afghan soil. However, messages from the Taliban are mixed.
An earlier statement by a Taliban founder to the AP this week stated that hard-liners would again execute and amputate hands, but this time after adjudications by judges including women and possibly not in public.
He said that if the world community encourages them and encourages them in this way, it will be a win for all.
Khan also vented his anger at the same community for what Khan perceives as an Indian free pass.
It is very regrettable, very regrettable, that the global approach to human rights violations is not fair and selective. Khan stated that geopolitical considerations or corporate interests and commercial interests often force major powers to ignore the transgressions of their associated countries.
He described a series of actions that he claimed have led to a war of terror and violence against India's 200 million-strong Muslim community. These included pogroms, lynchings and discriminatory citizenship laws.
Khan, who prefers to deliver his speeches in British-inflected English as opposed to Modi's Hindi addresses, has spent considerable time on Kashmir just like in years past.
Khan stated that New Delhi is also working towards what it considers the final solution to the Jammu-Kashmir dispute. He cited a number of violations of human rights by Indian forces as well as gross and systematic. Khan specifically condemned the forced snatching and stoning of the mortal remains, Syed Ali Geelani, a great Kashmiri leader who died earlier in the month at 91.
Geelani's family claims that authorities took Geelani’s body and buried it discreetly without their consent. This denied the separatist leader venerated in Kashmir an Islamic burial. Khan urged the General Assembly for Geelani to be buried with proper rites.
Kashmir is split between India and Pakistan. It has been claimed by both countries since independence from the British Empire and when they began fighting for their rival claims.
He stated that Pakistan wants peace but India must engage meaningfully.
After Friday's last speaker, India exercised its right to reply, stating that it was on Pakistan, and not India, for good faith engagement. A diplomat from India said that Pakistan should look inward before making any accusations and reiterated that Kashmir was India's inalienable right. Pakistan responded by shaming India again.
Modi will address the U.N. General Assembly personally on Saturday. This is just a day after Modi's bilateral meeting with Joe Biden, the U.S. president.
___
Follow Sen on Twitter at https://twitter.com/mallikavsen
